Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick: 'Nothing I would do differently' on tackle that injured Nick Chubb

Minkah Fitzpatrick has seen and heard that some have been calling him a dirty player.

That he delivered a dirty hit during Monday night’s game.

Or that he was out to deliberately injure Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb.

Fitzpatrick, the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro safety, has a simple answer for those who believe he should not have chosen to tackle Chubb at his legs as he approached the goal line.

“They never tackled Nick Chubb before,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday, “if you’re telling me to go high on him.”

During the play at the Steelers’ 3 yard-line on the second snap of the second quarter Monday, Chubb suffered a serious knee injury that is reported to require multiple surgeries.

Fitzpatrick himself had the wind knocked out of him on the play, bruising his chest to the point that he ultimately left the game and was sent to a hospital for evaluation.

Fitzpatrick on Thursday said he is fine and expects to play in the Steelers’ next game Sunday in Las Vegas. But while his chest is healing, Fitzpatrick wanted to respond to the beating his reputation took in some quarters of the internet and the sphere of television commentary.

“It was very unfortunate,” Fitzpatrick said of Chubb’s injury. “It’s a tough, tough injury. Unfortunately, it’s a part of the game that we play. I know people believe I had ill will about the tackle — that’s not the case whatsoever. I’m a guy that as a competitor that is going to go out there and play the game. I’m chippy, I’m edgy of course — but I am not a dirty player.

“I’m not going to sit here and defend my character. I know what type of player I am — Chubb knows what type of player I am. I have played against him for the past five years, two times a year, and I love competing against him. He brings the best out of me, and I bring the best out of him. No chance would I ever try to purposely injure somebody.

“It was an unfortunate event. We play a physical game, and people get hurt. People can sit behind a screen and tell me how they would have done it or what they would have done, (but) they never played the game. It’s a fast game, and things happen, and it’s an unfortunate event. I am praying for Chubb. I talked to him briefly as he was on the ground and just let him know it wasn’t intentional and I was just trying to tackle him, making a football play.”

Fitzpatrick explained the play from his perspective. Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb was engaged with Chubb’s upper body as Fitzpatrick was lunging for the tackle.

“What I saw was (a hole) opened up,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s at the goal line. And I didn’t see anybody on him. And I made the decision — as soon as I saw the hole open up and him in the hole — to go low… It’s a fast game, it’s a game that… you make decisions within milliseconds. You can’t really control what happens after you choose to make your decision. And I already chose to go low. Somebody got on his back as I was going low, and what happened happened. There’s nothing I really would do differently. But it was very unfortunate. Chubb’s a great player. He can make the game a lot better when he’s playing. Just hope for a speedy recovery.”

A vocal minority (perhaps most based in Cleveland) expressed anger toward Fitzpatrick, but many others — in particular, some former Steelers players — expressed support for Fitzpatrick.

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said injuries such as Chubb’s unfortunately are “just part of the game.”

“We all know Minkah is not a dirty player,” Austin said. “He’s a stand-up player. So I have no problem with the way everything shook out. You don’t want it to happen. We’ve got a lot of respect for Chubb. Unbelievable player and, from what I know, unbelievable guy. And you hate to see it happen. But it’s part of the game.”

Fitzpatrick corrected some who have come to his defense by saying if he had tried to tackle Chubb high he would have been fined, noting that Chubb as a runner would not have been deemed “defenseless.”

But Fitzpatrick said Chubb is among the more punishing runners in the NFL, his 227-pound body often delivering the blow rather than accepting one.

“If I tackle a guy like Nick Chubb high, as he’s running full speed downhill, and I’m stationary, I’m going to get run over and I am gonna get concussed,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know it’s an offensive game and people want to see points, but defensive players are people, too. We have to protect ourselves, and when you’re tackling big guys it’s easier and you take less of the brunt on your body and your head when you go low.”

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